A Look at Female Bonding : All-woman cast says ‘It’s a Girl!’ isn’t male-bashing, but makes a case <i> for </i> men

Think of a female barbershop quintet and you’ve got the sound of “It’s a Girl!” Think of a maternity ward and you’ve got the look.

John Burrows’ ode to female bonding at the Odyssey Theatre in West Los Angeles is a happy amalgam of style, story and sensitivity: Multiple characters and accents, a cappella singing and chorus moves accompany a modern tale of social inequality, environmental awareness, marital discord and the ferocious pull of motherhood. Eve, Celia, Linda, Mina and Mary are the leading ladies, a support group of British mums-to-be.

With an all-woman cast and a woman director (Robin Saex), the actresses admit they have taken a few shots from men who perceive the piece as male-bashing. “I have to explain that it’s a satire against authority--especially British authority,” Mary Van Arsdel said.

“Actually, I think it’s a case for men,” Belle Calaway said. “So often men expect to know what we’re feeling in pregnancy. This play says you really can’t understand--and we shouldn’t blame you for that.”

Andy Whitfield did the spunky score for “It’s a Girl!” which structurally is unconventional. “This play tests the limits of its theatricality,” Martha Hackett said. “Beginning with actresses greeting the audience and ad-libbing a social gathering, we go through five different styles, from musical to heavy drama. So when we switch gears--turn our backs and become new characters--the audience has to be willing and able to go with us.”

The narrative path includes some difficult patches of domestic and political turf. Despite the snickers of her unyielding husband and doctor, one character defies convention and decides to have her baby at home. When her husband strikes her, she leaves.

The women are jailed when they band together and noisily protest a nearby nuclear-waste dump. The militancy is energizing--and catching.

“The ‘90s is the decade of our environment,” cast member Marti Muller said. “So this is a very timely piece. And we confront the issues in a serious fashion--even though there are musical numbers and lots of comedy and shtick--without coming off maudlin and preachy.”

Actress Laura Bogard hopes it’s also instructive: “A lot of men have questions about pregnancy but are afraid to ask. This way, they can enjoy themselves and get educated without having to read a book.”

Bogard was the chief educator; she’s nine months pregnant with her first child.

“Laura was my rehearsal process,” Muller said. “She taught us so much. Just to sit and put your hand on her belly--it was incredible. It gave me so much of what I needed to be a woman in this show. And also, when I play Melvin, to feel the wonder of touching a woman’s belly and know that something’s in there.”

At times, however, Bogard’s condition was a distraction. “Laura’s pregnancy was the focus at first,” Calaway said. “I don’t know if it was jealousy or what, but we were spending so much time dwelling on the real pregnancy we had. That didn’t last long, though. We bonded with Laura, and she became integrated with the play. So it wasn’t about this person who was really pregnant. Her pregnancy became about our play.”

“My challenge was to be like everyone else,” the actress said firmly, “not make my pregnancy an issue. So if rehearsal was going late, it was fine. If I was sick, it was fine. I was one of the group. But as far as being a role model, I was open and available for questions. It was like, ‘You wanna feel it? You wanna to see a stretch mark? You wanna see swelling? I’ll show you swelling.’ I had nothing to hide.”

Although cast members concede they’re especially vulnerable to criticism in a new work--this is its American premiere--the experience has brought its own fortification.

“I can honestly say that no one gets more wigged out about validation than me,” Muller said with a hoarse laugh. “I’ll run off stage to these guys at intermission and say, ‘Was my number OK?’ But whether it’s an audience laughing its head off, an audience with an ‘OK, entertain me’ attitude, critics or no critics--you just know. You know in your heart if you’re doing the right thing. You cannot experience what we’re feeling on stage and not be right on the money.”

“It’s a Girl!” plays at the Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West Los Angeles, at 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, at 7 p.m. Sundays, indefinitely. (213) 477-2055. Tickets: $16.50 to $20.50.